Camera protection and housings

Camera enclosures in general

Surveillance cameras are often placed in environments that are very demanding. Cameras may require protection from rain, hot and cold environments, dust, corrosive substances, vibrations and vandalism.

Manufacturers of cameras and camera accessories employ various methods to meet such environmental challenges. Solutions include placing cameras in separate, protective housings, designing built-in special-purpose camera enclosures, and/or using intelligent algorithms that can detect and alert users of a change in a camera’s operating conditions.

When the demands of the environment are beyond a camera’s operating conditions, protective housings are required. Camera housings come in different sizes and qualities and with different features. Housings are made of either metal or plastic and can be generally classified into two types: fixed camera housings and dome camera housings.

When selecting an enclosure, several things need to be considered, including:

Side or slide opening (for fixed camera housings)

Mounting brackets

Clear or smoked bubble (for dome camera housings)

Cable management

Temperature and other ratings (consider the need for heater, sunshield, fan and wipers)

Power supply (12 V, 24 V, 110 V, etc.)

Level of vandal resistance

Some housings also have peripherals such as antennas for wireless applications. An external antenna is only required if the housing is made of metal. A wireless camera inside a plastic housing will work without the use of an external antenna.